Undershorts with moisture-proof crotch lining



Feb. 24, 1970 I w. w. ARTZT 3,496,576

' UNDERSHORTS WITHMOISTURE-PROOF CROTCHLINING Filed April 2, 1968 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR WILLIAM WALTER ARTZT ATTORNEY UNDERSHORTS WITHMOISTURE-PROOF CROTGH"LINING Filed April 2.1.968

W. W. ARTZT Feb. 24,1970

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 T R n R N A E m WT M W M M I- 1 W FIG.7.

ATTORNEY 3,496,576 UNnERsHoRTs WITH MOISTURE-PROOF CROTCH LINING WilliamWalter Artzt, 116 E. 68th St.,

New York, NY. 10021 Filed Apr. 2, 1968, Sell. N0. 718,062 Int. Cl. A41d27/00, 27/02, 27/14 US. Cl. 2224 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSUREBriefs or undershorts of the type including a bodyencircling portion anda crotch portion extending centrally between the front and back of thebody-encircling portion to define leg openings at its opposite sides areprovided with a crotch lining of polypropylene fabric covering the innersurface of at least the forward part of the crotch portion and whichresists the penetration therethrough of moisture and dries rapidly atbody temperatures. The body-encircling portion preferably includes apart at the bottom front thereof having a free lower edge extendingbetween the leg openings and overlapped by the forward part of thecrotch portion, and such forward part has an angled upper end edge,sections of which converge upwardly from the leg openings to a point atthe center of the front of the undershorts, with one or both of suchsections being free of the body-encircling portions except at theadjacent leg opening and the point of convergence to define a flyopening or openings at the front of the undershorts.

This invention relates generally to undergarments, and is particularlydirected to improvements in briefs or undershorts.

Briefs or undershorts are usually formed of knitted cotton and generallyinclude a body-encircling portion and a crotch portion extendingcentrally between the front and back of the body-encircling portion todefine leg openings at its opposite sides. The crotch portion ofundergarments of the described type, and particularly the forward partthereof, is frequently subject to perspiration or other moisture. Theknitted cotton crotch portion of existing undergarments of the describedtype has little resistance to the passage of such moisture therethroughand, furthermore, once the crotch portion is wet with perspiration orother moisture, the same dries slowly if at all so long as theundergarment is worn and this results in discomfort to the wearer.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide briefs orundershorts with a crotch portion Which, particularly at the forwardpart thereof, resists the penetration of perspiration or other moisturetherethrough and which dries rapidly, particularly at body temperatures.

In accordance with an aspect of this invention, at least the forwardpart of the crotch portion of briefs or undershorts is provided with alining of polypropylene fabric, which fabric has the desiredcharacteristics of resisting the penetration of moisture therethroughand of drying rapidly, particularly at body temperatures.

It is another feature of this invention, to provide briefs orundershorts having the foregoing characteristics, and which is furtherprovided with two oppositely directed fly openings at the front thereof.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention,will be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrativeembodiments thereof which is to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of briefs or underted States Patentice.

shorts of the leg-less type in accordance with an embodiment of thisinvention, and which are shown partly broken away in the crotch portionthereof;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a fabric blank employed in the production ofthe briefs of FIG. 1

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a lining to be provided in the crotch portionof the briefs of FIG. 1 in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of the briefs ofFIG. 1 at an intermediate stage in the production thereof;

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 are enlarged sectional views taken along the lines 55,66, and 77, respectively, on FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, but illustrating anintermediate stage in the production of briefs in accordance withanother embodiment of this invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, itwill be seen that briefs or undershorts of the leg-less type to whichthis invention relates are there generally identified by the referencenumeral 10 and shown to comprise a body-encircling portion 11 and acrotch portion 12 extending centrally between the 'front and back of thebody-encircling portion and cooperating with the latter to define legopenings 13 at opposite sides of the crotch portion. An elastic waistband 14 extends along the top edge of body-encircling portion 11 and issuitably stitched thereto, as at 15. The edges of leg openings 13 aresuitably finished, as by knitted or otherwise stretchable binding tapes16 sewn therealong, and similar binding tapes 17 and 18 convergeupwardly from leg openings 13 to a junction or point of convergence 19at the center of the front body encircling portion 11 and then divergeupwardly from such point 19, as at 17a and 18a, to waist band 14 at thetop of body encircling portion 11. As hereinafter described in detail,at least one, and preferably each of binding tapes 17 and 18 is free ofbody encircling portion 11 along the length of the respective bindingtape between the leg opening 13 and the point 19 to provide a flyopening at the respective side of the front of the briefs.

As shown on FIG. 2, body-encircling portion 11 and crotch portion 12 ofthe described briefs 10 may be formed from a one-piece blank 10a,preferably of a knitted cotton fabric, and having a central, uppersection 11a corresponding to the back of body-encircling portion 11, asection 12a depending centrally from section 1101 and corresponding tocrotch portion 12, and sections 111a and 111b extending laterally fromthe opposite sides of section 11a to form corresponding sides of thefront of body-encircling portion 11 of the completed garment.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, a section 20a is provided as an integralextension at the bottom of section 111a to define a bottom front part 20of body-encircling portion 11 when blank sections 111a and 111b arefolded inwardly about fold lines 21a and 21b so as to be superposed onsection 11a, as shown on FIG. 4. The edge 22a of section 20a and theadjacent edge 23a of section 11a are cut at angles, as are correspondingend edges 22b and 23b of section 111b, so that, when sections 111a and11112 are folded inwardly over section 11a of blank 10a, edges 22a and22b and edges 23a and 2312 will come into abutting relationship. Theabutting edges 22a and 22b and the abutting edges 23a and 23b are sewntogether to provide the correspondingly numbered seams 22 and 23 of FIG.4, with such seams 22 and 23 being located so as to be cov ered by thebinding tape indicated at 17 and 17a on FIG. 1.

The section 12a of blank 10a is longitudinally dimensioned so that, whensuch section 12a is folded upwardly about the fold line 24a (FIG. 2),the upwardly folded part of section 12a which defines a forward part 25of crotch portion 12 will be in overlapping relation to bottom frontpart 20 of body-encircling portion 11 (FIGS. 1 and 4). Further, the endedge of section 12a of the blank has edge sections 25 and 27 convergingto a central point 19a and at an angle with respect to each otherselected so that, when section 12a is folded upwardly, as describedabove, and has the point 19a of its end edge located at the junction orpoint 19 at the front of the body-encircling portion, edge section 26will substantially overlie seam 22 and be inclined downwardly from thepoint 19 to the adjacent leg Opening 13, while edge section 27 will besimilarly inclined downwardly from point 19 to the other leg opening.

In accordance with the present invention, at least the forward part 25of crotch portion 12 is provided with a lining 28 of a polypropylenefabric which is also preferably knitted and which may be cut in the formof a blank 28a (FIG. 3) corresponding substantially to the configurationof the part of section 12a of blank 10a which is to be folded upwardlyabout line 24a.

In producing the garment 10 according to this invention, the blank 28afor the crotch lining may be disposed on section 11a of blank 10a whilethe latter is in its flat condition, as indicated in broken lines at 2Saon FIG. 2, so that the straight transverse edge 29 of blank 28a extendsslightly beyond fold line 24a, as indicated at 29' on FIG. 2. Then,blank 28a may be stitched to blank 10a along fold line 24a, as at 30 onFIG. 7. After such initial sewing of blank 28a to blank 10a, blank 28ais folded onto the similarly shaped part of section 12a which is toconstitute the forward part 25 of crotch portion 12. When thus folded,converging sections 2641 and 27a of the end edge of crotch lining 28 arebrought into alignment with the corresponding edge sections 26 and 27 ofthe forward part 25 of crotch portion 12, as indicated on FIG. 4.

Crotch lining 28 is further secured to forward part 25 of crotch portion12 along the opposite side edges of part 25 by the binding tapes 16 sewnalong the edges of leg openings 13. The end edge sections 26 and 27 offorward part 25 are also secured to the corresponding edge sections 26aand 27a of crotch lining 28 by the binding tapes 17 and 18 which arerespectively sewn therealong. Preferably, all stitching passing throughcrotch lining 28, as aforesaid, is formed of polypropylene thread.

As previously mentioned herein, the tapes 17 and 18, and hence the edgesections 26 and 26a and the edge sections 27 and 27a which are securedtogether thereby, are sewn or otherwise secured to body-encirclingportion 11 only at the ends of tapes 17 and 18 adjacent leg openings 13and at the junction or point of convergence 19 of the tapes 17 and 18.The upwardly diverging extensions 17a and 18a of tapes 17 and 18,respectively, are stitched, along their entire lengths, tobody-encircling portion 11, with the tape extension 17a overlying orcovering the seam 23.

It will be appreciated that the lower edge 30 of the bottom front part20 of body-encircling portion 11 is free of forward part 25 of thecrotch portion and its lining 28 except at the ends of edge 30 which arealso secured by the tape 16 binding the edges of leg openings 13. Thus,fly openings 31 and 32- (FIGS. 1, and 6) are provided at opposite sidesof junction 19 along binding tapes 17 and 18 between bottom front part20 of body-encircling portion 11 and the upper, overlapping end portionof the forward part 25 of the crotch. The tape extensions 17a and 18aextending from the point of convergence or junction 19 of tapes 17 and18 up to waist band 14 serve to support crotch portion 12 from suchwaist band and further to tension the binding tapes 17 and 18 to preventgaping of the fly openings 31 and 32.

Further, in order to avoid gaping of fly openings 31 and 32 extending atopposite sides of junction 19 to leg openings 13, the free lower edge 30of bottom front part 20 desirably has a length of elastic 33 extendingtherealong and stitched to edge 30 (FIGS. 4, 5 and 6). As shown on FIG.2, the length of elastic 33 is conveniently secured along edge 30 whilethe blank 10a for forming the garment is in its flat condition.

Referring now to FIG. 8, it will be understood that the briefs 10' inaccordance with this invention as there illustrated are generallysimilar to the previously described briefs 10 and differ therefrom onlywith respect to the configurations of the seams 22' and 23' joiningtogether the sides 111a and 111']; of the front of body-encirclingportion 11'. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the seam 23 extends upwardlyat an angle from the junction or point 19' corresponding to the point 19on FIG. 1 so as to he disposedunder the tape extension 17a of thecompleted garment, but the seam 22' extends vertically downward from thepoint 19' to the free lower edge 30 or" the bottom front part ofbody-encircling portion 11'. Thus, a one-piece blank from which thebody-encircling portion 11' and crotch portion 12 of FIG. 8 may beformed has sections 20a and 20b of the bottom front part of thebody-encircling portion formed integrally with the sections 111a and111b, respectively, of the blank defining the sides of the front of thebody-encircling portion. In a completed garment of the type illustratedby FIG. 8, the seam 22 is hidden from view by the crotch lining 28' andthe forward part 25' of the crotch portion extending upwardly to thepoint or junction 19.

Although the exact action of the polypropylene fabric of crotch lining28 or 28' is not fully understood, it is known that the polypropylenefibers of the crotch lining do not absorb moisture and further thatpolypropylene has a lower specific gravity than any other fiber,specifically, a specific gravity of 0.9 as compared with specificgravities of 1.32 and 1.54 for W001 and cotton, respectively. By reasonof such characteristics, it is believed that, particularly when crotchlining 28 or 28' is of a relatively close or tightly knittedpolypropylene fabric, perspiration or other moisture is held againstpassage through the pores of the fabric by surface tension and, further,since the polypropylene fibers are not substantially wet by the moistureand do not absorb the latter into the fibers, such retained moisture isfree to be evaporated rapidly, particularly at body temperatures, so asto effect the quick drying of the crotch lining.

In the foregoing, the invention has been specifically described asapplied to undershorts of the leg-less type, but it is apparent that thecrotch lining of polypropylene may also be applied in accordance withthe invention to similargarments having legs. Further, it will beapparent that garments according tothe invention may have the front ofthe body-encircling portion integral with the back of such portion, asin the illustrated embodiments, or the front of the body-encirclingportion may be cut separately from the back and joined to the latter atsuitable side seams.

Although illustrative embodiments of the invention have been describedin detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is tobe understood that the invention not limited to those preciseembodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effectedtherein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope orspirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In undershorts including a body-encircling portion and a crotchportion extending centrally between the front and back of saidbody-encircling portion to cooperate with the latter in defining legopenings at opposite sides of said crotch portion; said body-encirclingportion having a part at the bottom front thereof with a free lower edgeextending between said leg openings and being overlapped by a forwardpart of said crotch portion, said forward part of the crotch portionhaving an upper end edge with sections thereof converging upwardly fromsaid leg openings to a point of convergence at the center of said frontof the body-encircling portion above said free lower edge of said bottomfront part, said end edge of the crotch portion being secured to saidbody-encircling portion only 5 at the ends of said end edge and at saidpoint of convergence of said edge sections to define fly openings at theopposite sides of the front of the undershorts, a crotch lining ofpolypropylene fabric of such close knit construction as to prevent thepassage of moisture therethrough, said lining covering the inner surfaceof at least said forward part of the crotch portion and being secured tothe latter along said upper end edge, across the lowermost region ofsaid crotch portion and along the opposite side edges of the crotchportion defining said leg openings, and binding tapes secured along saidconverging sections of the end edge of said crotch portion and extendingdivergingly beyond said point of convergence to the upper edge of saidfront of the body-encircling portion said body-encircling portion andsaid crotch portion being sections of a single fabric piece having saidcrotch portion integral with said body-encircling portion at the lowerback of the latter, and said body-encircling portion having ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,019,140 10/1935 Kneibler 2-224 2,575,70111/1951 Artzt 2-224 2,649,864 8/1953 Mayer et a1. 139426 XR 3,063,45211/1962 Del Guercio. 3,237,625. 3/1966 Johnson 2-224 XR 2,243,643 5/1941Murphey 2-224 H. HAMPTON HUNTER, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R 12852 8

